A. Field of Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for safely removing needles, inserted in patient's for withdrawing or injecting fluids, in such a way as to protect medical personnel from being punctured or even pricked by the removed needle. Additionally the apparatus of the present invention continues to completely sheath a removed needle even when the needle is thrown away, thus protecting all persons who could inadvertently be punctured or pricked.
B. Background of the Invention
Needle infusion and extraction apparatus for administering or draining fluids from patients have been known for years. The type of needle apparatus of interest here are hypodermic needles connected at one end to flexible plastic tubes. At the bases of these needles where the plastic tubes are connected there are fixedly attached to the needle a generally butterfly-shaped needle holder. The butterfly-shaped needle holders are often fabricated from plastic and include a pair of flexible side strip portions laterally projecting in opposite directions from the needles. When the needles with their butterfly-shaped holders are being inserted in a patient, the flexible side strip portions of the needle holders are bent up to erect positions by the medical operator's fingers and held between finger tips so that the operator can move the needles accurately for insertion into patients. After a needle is inserted in a patient, the flexible side strip portions of the needle holder are released from the finger tips. Releasing the side strip portions of a butterfly-shaped needle holder allows the side strips to return to their respective original positions projecting laterally from the needle. As inserted in a patient, the side strip portions of a butterfly-shaped needle holder extend substantially in parallel orientation with respect to the surface of the patient's arm. Thus, the needle and its attached butterfly-shaped needle holder can be secured to the patient's arm by the use of, for example, adhesive tape positioned in part on the side strip portions of the butterfly-shaped needle holder and in part on the patient's skin.
In order to extract such a needle from a patient the adhesive tape is removed and the side strips of the butterfly-shaped needle holder are again bent up to erect positions by the medical operator and are grasped by the operator's fingers to apply force for removing the needle.
Examples of disclosures of known needles which incorporate fixedly attached butterfly-shaped needle holders include those made in: U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,727, entitled Medical Infusion Set, issued June 20, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,236, entitled Fitting For Use In Performing A Vascular Puncture, issued Apr. 13, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,519, entitled Venipuncture Device, issued Apr. 27, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,022, entitled Medical Needle Assembly, issued Sept. 14, 1982; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,444, entitled Intravenous Needle Assembly, issued Apr. 29, 1986.